Top 10 Best Guitar Riff Creators
The world of rock and roll, metal, and various other genres is laden with these vibrant musical phrases, often serving as the iconic signatures of the songs they inhabit.These short, repeated, catchy chord progressions are the backbone of countless iconic songs and are often the elements that stick with listeners the longest, creating a tune you find yourself humming long after the song has ended. The creators of these riffs, the maestros of melody and rhythm, are revered figures in the music world, shaping the soundscapes of the genres they inhabit.
Anthony Frank Iommi, known as Tony Iommi, is an English guitarist, songwriter, and producer. He's best known as the lead guitarist and a founding member of the pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath. At age 17, he lost the fingertips of his right middle and ring fingers in an industrial accident... read more Led Zeppelin is probably my favorite band after Pink Floyd, but Iommi is a better riff writer than Page.
Page stole many riffs. He didn't write a riff as iconic as "Iron Man." Take a song like "Into the Void," which has five iconic Sabbath riffs in it, and all the songs on the albums are like that. Page doesn't have this ability. Page has one main riff, while Iommi has a main riff, then a groovy verse riff, followed by a series of three iconic groovy riffs, two outro riffs, and you get the idea.
He should be higher. The riffs he created in the '70s were some of the heaviest at the time. People didn't know what to think - they had never heard such heaviness before. A critic said, "Like Cream, but worse." If it wasn't for Iommi, a lot of great metal guitarists would have never even picked up a guitar.
James Alan Hetfield was born on August 3, 1963. He is an American musician, singer and songwriter known for being the co-founder, lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and main songwriter for the American thrash metal band Metallica. Yes, this man should top the list. He has created all Metallica's riffs and solos, and Kirk plays them. There are no words to describe this genius!
Of course, he is not the best guitarist on the list, but I think he is one of the best metal riff creators of all time.
Thanks, Mr. Hetfield!
James Patrick Page is an English musician, songwriter, and record producer who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of Led Zeppelin. He's widely regarded for his innovative guitar techniques, production work, and influence across rock music genres. After Led Zeppelin disbanded... read more For me, Page is the best riff machine. Page and Iommi are evenly matched, but still, Jimmy is the best because the sound of his riffs is amazing. Plus, his stage presence - he moved his body according to his guitar riffs.
The stuff he came up with over the years with the Yardbirds that they didn't use, wow.
Jimmy Page is by far the best riff creator of all time, not to mention the greatest guitarist ever. Every single song has an awesome spot in rock history.
Jimmy is the best at riffs. Iommi and Page are evenly matched, but despite Page's stage presence, he moved his body according to his guitar sounds.
David Scott "Dave" Mustaine (born September 13, 1961) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, actor, and author. He was the original lead guitarist of Metallica before being dismissed in 1983. Afterward, he formed the band Megadeth, where he became the lead vocalist and primary creative force. What? He's the primary songwriter for both Megadeth's music and lyrics. He wrote the entire "Rust in Peace" album, except for the lyrics on "Tornado of Souls" (which he co-wrote with David Ellefson), the music on "Lucretia" (which he also wrote with Ellefson), and "Dawn Patrol," which is less than two minutes long, with the music written by Ellefson.
This means Mustaine single-handedly wrote the riffs for "Holy Wars," "Hangar 18," "Take No Prisoners," "Five Magics," "Poison Was the Cure," "Tornado of Souls" (again, Ellefson only helped with the lyrics), and "Rust in Peace." And that's just one of the best Megadeth albums. He also wrote all the music and lyrics for the "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?" album, excluding one cover song.
Darrell Lance Abbott, also known as Diamond Darrell and Dimebag Darrell, was an American guitarist and songwriter. He co-founded the bands Pantera and Damageplan with his brother Vinnie Paul. Abbott was tragically shot and killed during a performance in 2004 by a mentally unstable fan. Cemetery Gates (both the clean and distorted riffs) is highly underrated. Walk, Cowboys from Hell. These are not ordinary riffs.
Jimi Hendrix was an American rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Though his mainstream career lasted only about four years from 1966 to 1970, he's widely regarded as one of the most influential electric guitarists in popular music... read more
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. He is known for songs such as "Johnny B. Goode," "Roll Over Beethoven," and "Maybellene." Berry died on March 18, 2017.
Angus McKinnon Young is an Australian guitarist of Scottish origin, best known as the co-founder, lead guitarist, songwriter, and the only constant member of the Australian hard rock band AC/DC. He is recognized for his energetic stage presence and schoolboy-uniform stage outfits. When performing live,... read more All AC/DC songs have amazing riffs! Angus Young and Malcolm Young are geniuses! The Young brothers are masters at riffs!
Keith Richards is an English musician, primarily a guitarist, as well as a singer, songwriter, best-selling memoirist, and founding member of the rock band The Rolling Stones. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest guitarists in rock history. Richards has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall... read more None better. Period. Honky Tonk Women is why the guitar was invented.
Jerry Fulton Cantrell Jr. is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and guitarist best known as the founder, lead guitarist, co-lead vocalist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Alice in Chains. He has also released solo albums and contributed to various collaborations. Cantrell's guitar work... read moreThe Newcomers
Adam Thomas Jones (born January 15, 1965) is a three-time Grammy Award-winning American musician and visual artist, best known for his position as the guitarist for Tool. He is also recognized for directing many of the band's music videos. Prior to his music career, Jones worked in special effects and... read more
Malcolm Mitchell Young (January 6, 1953 to November 18, 2017) was an Australian musician best known as the rhythm guitarist, backing vocalist, and co-founder of the hard rock band AC/DC. He was a key force behind the band's sound and songwriting, contributing to many of their greatest hits. Young remained... read more Malcolm was the true riff writer behind AC/DC, not Angus. He deserves the credit.
Saul Hudson, known professionally as Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He has also released solo work and collaborated with... read more Everyone knows his riffs from Appetite for Destruction, and the riffs from his solo albums are extremely overlooked.
I don't even have to explain. His music says it all.
Neil Percival Young is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, producer, director, and screenwriter. He gained fame both as a solo artist and as a member of bands like Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Known for hits such as Heart of Gold and Rockin' in the Free World, Young is also... read more
Richard Hugh "Ritchie" Blackmore is an English guitarist and songwriter best known for his work with the hard rock and heavy metal bands Deep Purple and Rainbow... read more It's not only Smoke on the Water. There are other great riffs like Highway Star, Black Night, Perfect Strangers, Burn, Pictures of Home, Strange Kind of Woman, etc.
What is Blackmore doing down at 11 on a riff creator list?
Only 14th? Surely, he should be in the top 5 with his legacy.
Charles Michael "Chuck" Schuldiner (1967-2001) was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He was the founder and leader of the band Death, widely considered one of the pioneers of the death metal genre. Schuldiner passed away from brain cancer on December 13, 2001, and is often referred to as... read more
Edward Lodewijk "Eddie" Van Halen (January 26, 1955 - October 6, 2020) was a Dutch-American musician, songwriter, producer, and inventor. He was best known as the lead guitarist, occasional keyboardist, and co-founder of the hard rock band Van Halen. He is widely recognized for pioneering guitar techniques,... read more
Kerry Ray King is an American musician, best known as a guitarist for the American thrash metal band Slayer. He was a founding member of Slayer and remained with the band until its farewell tour concluded in 2019. In 2024, King launched a new solo project under his own name.
Thomas Morello is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and political activist. He is best known for his tenure with the band Rage Against the Machine and later with Audioslave. Morello is also known for his innovative guitar style and his solo project, The Nightwatchman. The craziest riffs of '90s metal: Killing in the Name, Sleep Now in the Fire, Guerrilla Radio, Bulls on Parade, Know Your Enemy, and the list goes on and on.
Randall William "Randy" Rhoads was an American heavy metal guitarist who played with Ozzy Osbourne and Quiet Riot. He was widely regarded for his innovative guitar work and neoclassical metal style. Rhoads was killed in a plane crash on March 19, 1982, at the age of 25.
Eric Patrick Clapton is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is the only three-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of the Yardbirds and Cream. He was also a founding member of Derek and the Dominos, known for... read more Lay Down Sally, Cocaine, Sunshine of Your Love, Tears in Heaven, Layla, and many more.
Kirk Lee Hammett (born November 18, 1962) is an American musician who has been the lead guitarist of the heavy metal band Metallica since 1983. In addition to playing guitar, he contributes as a songwriter for the band... read more
John Anthony Frusciante is an American guitarist, singer, producer and composer.He is best known for his time with the Funk Rock California based band the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He was also part of the Mars Volta, Swahili Blonde, Ataxia and more. Snow, Scar Tissue, Can't Stop, Californication, just to name a few. I don't know why I'm the one adding him to this list.
Matthew James "Matt" Bellamy is an English musician, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer. He is best known as the lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the alternative rock band Muse. Bellamy's dynamic guitar work, falsetto vocals, and classically influenced piano compositions... read more
Adrian Frederick "H" Smith is an English guitarist, best known as a member of Iron Maiden. He contributes as a songwriter and performs live backing vocals on some tracks. Smith has been part of Iron Maiden during several key periods in the band's history, originally joining in 1980 and returning in... read more